


Into the She-Ra-Verse

by RabidOtter



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Adora Remains with the Horde (She-Ra), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Crack, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Horde Adora (She-Ra), Horde Lord Adora (She-Ra), Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Inspired by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), Magicat Catra (She-Ra), Not Really Character Death, Past Character Death, Post-Canon, Rating May Change, Tags May Change, Time Travel, diverges during season 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:20:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29885862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RabidOtter/pseuds/RabidOtter
Summary: Catra wasn’t really paying attention when Entrapta warned that the portal would “Unhinge time and space,” and even if she was, she wouldn’t have expected to find herself in this situation. In a room with four variations of herself and Adora. What makes it worse is that half of them are couples. It’s like the universe is taunting her.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 57





	Into the She-Ra-Verse

**Author's Note:**

> This is total nonsense, and I have no idea where it will end up, but I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> A note about the Major Character Death tag, everyone will get a happy ending, but some of the characters backgrounds are not happy ones.

“Catra! Please, don’t!”

Catra ignored the plea from her once friend and slammed the lever into the on position. The machinery around the lab buzzed to life and the three pieces of portal levitated to frame the Sword of Protection. She looked on with manic glee as her revenge neared completion. Vaguely she was aware of the fight going on without her, but Hordak could fend off a few princesses and  _ Shadow Weaver. _ The only one that had ever stopped Catra was Adora, and now she was bound and helpless, forced to watch  _ her _ success. The reversal of their roles was so cathartic that it sent shivers down her spine. 

She turned to gloat again, but froze when she saw the blonde. Adora was running towards the portal, the remains of the shackle still hanging from one wrist. If Adora reached the sword before the portal opened, this would all be ruined. She would turn into She-Ra and everything would fall apart. Again. 

Catra leapt into action, digging the claws on her feet in for more traction and diving for the sword as well. They both reached it at the same time, Catra’s hand wrapping around the handle, which was quickly enveloped by Adora’s hand. 

Catra didn’t know a lot about the portal. She had no idea if any of the nonsense that Adora had been spouting about the portal breaking the world or whatever was accurate or just a diversion tactic. She didn’t know what purpose the hodge-podge of Horde and First Ones tech made something capable of transporting matter. What she did know was that sticking her hand into it was a Bad Idea. Up there with some of her worst, like trusting Shadow Weaver. Or trusting Adora. Or trusting period. 

Her hand buzzed with energy. Almost as if she had grabbed a live power line, but didn’t hurt or make her muscles contract. Instead it made her feel like her hand was a million miles away. Some tratorus part of her brain told her to remember the sensation so that she could tell Entrapta how the portal messed with her proprioception. A second part of her brain reminded her that she had just sent Entrapta to Beast Island, and that she would likely be dead or worse before the morning. Another thought, how does she know the word proprioception? And why would she tell Entrapta anything? 

Images flashed in front of her eyes, too rapid to tell what they were. The only thing she could pick out was Adora’s face. Once happy and smiling. A memory obviously, Adora didn’t smile at her anymore. Another, grim faced and determined. Another desperate and pleading, afraid. Not every image she saw had Adora in it though, one was just a sickening green liquid that instilled stomach-turning horror in her, for some unknown reason. The images blurred together, colors mixing in a rainbow so bright it just became white.

Catra grumbled to herself. It wasn’t like Adora to sleep in, and the morning where one of the few times that they could goof off together before she had to go off and be the model Force Captain. It wasn’t that Catra didn’t appreciate her enemy’s dedication, it was just that-

It wasn’t that Catra didn’t appreciate her wifes dedication-

It wasn’t that Catra didn’t  _ HATE- _

Catra shook her head. This was why she needed Adora time. Her head was a mess and Adora helped her to think straight. She tapped in her access code to Adora’s quarters and saw the blonde sprawled in her bed, still dressed from the day before and her ponytail still in. Catra grinned despite herself. “Hey Adora.”

Adora didn’t move. Her breaths were coming faster than someone who was resting peacefully, and as Catra approached, she could hear Adora’s heart racing as well. A nightmare perhaps? Catra jumped up on the bed and started shaking the other girl. “Adora. Adora!”

Adora woke with a start instantly trying to fight, pushing Catra off of her. “Woah, woah, woah. Adora!” Catra caught the bonde’s flailing arms. “Since when do you sleep in?”

“Where am I? How did I get here?” Adora still seemed panicked. This was doing nothing to calm Catra down. The magicat opened her mouth to tease her again, but a banging on the door stopped her.

“Hey brat! Are you in there?” The raspy voice was unfamiliar to her ears, but she recognized it instantly. Adora looked at her, and then to the door.

“Catra, what’s going on?” Adora asked loudly. 

Catra opened her mouth to say she didn’t know, but the voice on the other side of the door answered first. “Well I’m currently  _ not _ sucking up moonlight on Mystacor’s beach right now, like I planned on. So I’m a little pissed! Now open this door before I tear it to shreds.”

Adora looked at Catra again. She muttered, “If someone is trying to impersonate you, they’re doing a pretty bad job. You don’t even like water.”

The two Horde soldiers both slid off the bed; Catra extended her claws while Adora pulled her dagger from under her pillow. Whoever was on the other side of the door wouldn’t know what hit them. An awful tearing sound grated on their ears as a set of claws breached the door, followed by a loud clang as a furred foot kicked it in.

“Damn, I forgot how good it feels to destroy the Fright Zone.” The imposter strode into the room like it owned it. Adora and Catra stared at it. It looked just like Catra, but was also different. It was older, with more scars, just barely visible through fur. Catra wouldn’t be found dead wearing what the imposter was; a button up shirt with the top few buttons undone, loose fitting pants, and a fucking cape. The real kicker though was the Brightmoon badge pinned to its shirt. It surveyed the two Horde Soldiers that were staring back at it, wide eyed. “Okay, good. You’re both here. Now let’s get my Adora and we’ll all get back to reality and fix things up. I have a vacation to get back too.” The imposter turned and called out the doorway. “Hey Adora, I found them both!”

Adora glanced at Catra, neither of them dropping their defensive stances. “I don’t know what kind of princess trickery this is-”

Adora stopped when the imposter started laughing its head off. “Adora, babe, I think the portal is messing with your head still. Look, doesn’t all this seem off to you?” It gestured around the room. “Like, can you even tell me what you did yesterday?”

Adora paused at that, thinking. Catra didn’t like the flicker of doubt that passed over her face, so she nudged her. “It’s just a trick Adora. We should attack it before it can do anything.”

“Please, I could take both of you with one hand tied behind my back.” The imposter bragged. “I’m pretty sure that Adora can’t even turn into She-Ra without her sword right now, and I know your moves better than you do. All that is beside the point. Really, it doesn’t matter if you too understand or not, because my Adora is here and knows how to fix this whole mess without someone being locked in an alternate reality for years. But, just because I’m trying to be nicer these days… Catra, what did  _ you _ do yesterday?”

Catra opened her mouth to answer, it was a stupid question, but a simple and harmless one. She closed her mouth when the answer didn’t come to her. It wasn’t like her to forget, so this was likely some sort of spell. Adora was right, the princesses almost certainly had something to do with this. “I don’t have to answer your questions.”

“Okay, I’ll answer for you. Yesterday you brought Adora back to the Fright Zone as a prisoner and gave her sword to Hordak so that he could open a portal.” The imposter sighed. “I thought it was going to be one of my crowning achievements, I had finally won. Finally climbed past Adora and showed her that I was the best. Then I woke up to a fake universe where I was second to Adora again. She was a Force Captain and I wasn’t, but I didn’t care because Adora cared about _me_ again.” The imposter let out a dark chuckle. “And I didn’t realize why that was important for another two _fucking_ _years!”_

Catra’s head was spinning. Everything the imposter was saying made a sick sort of sense. When she tried to deny that she would take Adora prisoner and give her to Hordak, she couldn’t. The same with how she felt. Honestly, it made her angry. She hated showing vulnerability, and here this imposter was laying out emotions she didn’t even want to admit to herself. She hissed at her doppelganger, which elicited an unexpected response: sadness.

“Fuck, I need so much therapy.” 

The sound of a pair of boots running down the hall dragged all the attention of all three of them towards the door. Adora gasped and Catra understood the reaction. Another Adora was standing in the doorway, again, she was different from the real Adora beside Catra. Older, with different scars, including one that was clearly from spell-lightning, and the sides of her head shaved close.. She was also dressed in sleek black armor, red Horde wings proudly emblazoned across the chestplate matched the red, floor length robe. A slender sword was sheathed at her side.

“Adora, there you are-” The imposter Catra was initially glad to see the newcomer, but that quickly turned to surprise as she got a closer look. It turned to Catra with exasperation. “How did you manage to fuck things up even worse than I did?”

“Me? You’re the one wearing a Brightmoon badge!” Catra was indignant. 

The armored Adora scanned the room analytically, dragging her eyes over each of them in turn, pausing at the Brightmoon badge and Adora’s Force Captain badge. Her face broke into a devious grin that made Catra’s heart stutter. The wicked smile wasn’t an expression that Catra had seen on Adora, but clearly fit this version of her. Powerful and merciless, she looked like she ruled the Horde with an iron fist; and as soon as the thought accrued to Catra, she knew it was true. Is this what would have happened if Adora had stayed? The two of them fighting their way to the top and protecting each other, safe at last. 

The newcomer gestured to the imposter Catra and addressed Adora. “Force Captain, will you help me arrest this traitor?”

That made sense, screw the false image of herself that made her question everything. Catra answered for Adora with a smile that matched the dark Adora’s. “We’d be glad to.” 

The imposter looked back and forth between the other three. “Fuck.”

**Author's Note:**

> Brain: Catra and Adora are fun characters.  
> Me: Yup.  
> Brain: You should put 10 of them in the same story.  
> Me: What?  
> Brain: Just do it.
> 
> The difference between pronouns for the alternate Catra and Adora are intentional. Because the Catra whose perspective this chapter is in, knows that can't be herself, so she thinks of it as having to be an illusion or trick. She also doesn't value herself as a person much, but she does value Adora, even a different version of Adora.
> 
> As I add to the cast, I'll start using nicknames so that we can tell the characters apart.


End file.
